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Start Up Freezes
#32587 01/24/15 06:25 AM
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Hi, Folks:

I hope someone can help me with this issue . . . I am beyond frustrated after two weeks of searching The Net for a solution.

I have an early 2011 MBPro with the latest Yosemite updates. On a cold start, the APPLE LOGO and progress bar appear after the chime. However, the computer freezes before either the keyboard or the mouse/track pad are "loaded" (and the screen goes white/blank). I have to shut down with power button and do another cold start . . . at least five or six times before the computer will fully start up to the Login page.

Disk Utility shows two records for the MBPro hard drive usage : the top entry at the left sidebar says that I have only 19 GB of the 500 GB remaining on the disk. However, the info below that entry shows that there are 346 GB remaining on the "same" hard drive.

I am guessing that this 326 GB discrepancy is significant and possibly affecting a proper start up. I have securely erased the complete drive (one pass of zeros) and set up as MAC OS EXTENDED (journaled), as recommended i.e. clean install. In recovery mode, I downloaded a "fresh" version of Yosemite from the Apple Store and did not use the spare bootable USB drive I had originally created (in case there were a problem with that!). Then I transferred my Home Folder and Apps from the Time Machine backup using Migration Assistant (as recommended during the new install of Yosemite) - Firewire with Thunderbolt port.

Why is Disk Utility showing such extreme calculations as to the amount of free space available on the drive (19 GB vs 345 GB)? Furthermore, Time Machine backup shows a comparable amount of used space of a 150 or so GB on its external hard drive.

Using the app "Grand Perspective" to scan of the MBPro HD shows a similar 150 GB usage. No "odd" 326 GB file/folder anywhere gobbling up the space.

Any ideas as to what accounts for the "missing" 326 GBs? Or Any fixes for the start up issue? (Honestly, I had really thought wiping the hard drive clean and installing a fresh copy of Yosemite would have solved the matter . . . but, alas.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. Using Disk Utility from the Recovery mode, I have run Repair Disk and Repair Permissions as well. All checks out as expected there.

Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32588 01/24/15 06:37 AM
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Ouch!!!

Since a clean install didn't help you, my only suggestion is that you read and follow the instructions in OS X Yosemite: Use Apple Diagnostics or Apple Hardware Test.

Good luck smile

Edit: I'm not sure that it's applicable here, but since it can't hurt, you can also try starting up in verbose mode to see what output it produces.

Last edited by artie505; 01/24/15 06:49 AM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
artie505 #32600 01/25/15 10:06 PM
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I reset PRAM/VRAM and SMC, as per Apple's website instructions.

I also followed "artie505's" advice and ran Apple's HARDWARE TEST. An hour and 5 minutes later, the report found NO hardware issues.

So . . . I SOLVED THE PROBLEM myself . . . ditched Yosemite.

I did a clean install and re-installed MAVERICKS. No issues at all with startup. Disk Utility log is as expected with no conflicting reports for the amount of used space and free space on the HD.

Nothing "buggy" to report at this time. Looks like Yosemite just doesn't like to play with my 4-year old MBPro (early 2011).

P.S. Should have done this from the get-go and saved myself HOURS of grief. frown

Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32601 01/25/15 10:10 PM
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That's really weird, but congrats on fixing whatever was broken. smile

(I know you're excited, but would you mind editing that red to black? It's awfully in-your-face. Thanks!)

Edit: > Should have done this from the get-go and saved myself HOURS of grief.

Why would you even have thought of it?

Your Mac is supported for Yosemite; it's more than likely that you just got a bad d/l.

Last edited by artie505; 01/26/15 07:06 AM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
artie505 #32660 01/27/15 07:13 PM
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Bad download from Apple?

I downloaded the first time from Apple a couple of days after Yosemite's release last autumn. Made a bootable USB drive from that download. Things seemed ok for a few weeks, then the "odd" behaviour began. So I did another clean install from the USB.

This past week, I downloaded a "new" copy (again) directly from the Apple Menu. Made another bootable drive on an external HD instead of a USB. Clean install. Same issues.

I suppose it could happen that I got TWO bad downloads directly from the Apple site - the one from November and the one from January. Or both the USB and the EXHD bootables were faulty in some way. That's a lot of "ifs" for a product that "just works."

Background: The MacBookPro (early 2011) was bought new directly from the factory because I had custom ordered an upgrade on the HD, I7 Core and 16 Ram. I have been the only owner/user. It came with 10.6 Snow Leopard installed. I have since upgraded to Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks with NO issues using the same procedures to install Yosemite. Since reverting back to Mavericks, there have been no glitches (i.e. working as it did before the move to Yosemite).

I hoped/hope to get a little more than 4 years from a laptop for which I paid $3800 (CDN) - especially since I am a "light" user. I do not play video games, run movies or heavy-duty applications. I don't even use iPhoto or iMovie. So, relative to others, I have had very little wear 'n tear. I also run maintenance using Onyx.


Why Yosemite does not want to play nice with my MacBook Pro? I have no idea. confused

Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32661 01/27/15 07:57 PM
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Well, it is all pretty unlikely. (Bad d/l's aren't necessarily Apple's fault; they could be an Internet glitch.)

Have you searched for other instances or maybe called Apple?

Other than that, I'm at a complete loss.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
artie505 #32664 01/27/15 08:18 PM
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Bad d/l's aren't necessarily Apple's fault; they could be an Internet glitch

I used the original USB drive from November to install Yosemite on our iMac desktop. Everything fine there, so there seems to be no problem with either the download (from November) or the USB drive on which it is installed.

Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32667 01/27/15 08:22 PM
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Given that the download is probably good, that suggests one of three problems, in decreasing order of probability:

1. You have some kind of device on your Mac Pro that isn't compatible with, or has a driver incompatible with, Yosemite.

2. You have a piece of software--some kernel extension, say--that is incompatible with Yosemite.

3. You have a malfunctioning device in the Mac Pro that isn't causing problems with Mavericks but is making Yosemite die. I find this unlikely, but not impossible.


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Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32668 01/27/15 08:27 PM
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Most problems with Yosemite, such as you describe, are the result of out of date and/or incompatible apps or drivers, but since you say you did a clean install that seems unlikely to be the problem. However, assuming you can coerce your MBP into booting under Yosemite you might run Etrecheck and what, if anything, it reports. While Etrecheck is not a be-all or end-all troubleshooting app it often shows up areas for concern, especially out of date utilities, kernel extensions, etc. The report is short enough you could pst it back here for the rest of us to look at.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32669 01/27/15 08:29 PM
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I dunno! confused

The only other thought that crosses my mind is that you've maybe got a bad RAM stick; happy DIMMs have been know to become unhappy after OS X upgrades.

Can you swap them out? Actually, it may pay you to open up your MBP and make sure that all your DIMMs are firmly in their place.

I assume that you've no longer got AppleCare. frown


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes
joemikeb #32671 01/27/15 08:45 PM
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Is there any chance that verbose mode, which I've already suggested, would shed any light on what's happening?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
tacit #32672 01/27/15 08:46 PM
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Thanks for the added info.

1. The only devices "added" - and used wirelessly - are a bluetooth Mighty Mouse, Time Capsule (for internet Wi-Fi), and HP Printer. All of these work as expected with Mavericks and Yosemite. I use an EXHD Firewire/Thunderbolt for doing Time Machine backups because to do so wirelessly with the Time Capsule base station is painfully slow. The EXHD is only attached to the MBPro when I manually want to backup once at the end of each day; otherwise it is unplugged.

2. How would I go about determining if there is some problematic KERNAL EXTENSION?

3. The MBPro has a built-in SUPERDRIVE which has been discontinued in recent models of this computer. Is it possible that Yosemite is "getting confused" by its presence in the machine?

Note: I had thought that perhaps finding the Mighty Mouse during startup was causing the freeze, so I tried a cold start without the mouse turned on. The computer still froze - and the screen went white - before either the keyboard lit up or the trackpad were activated. That is to say, when the Apple Logo disappeared and the screen got stuck, the keyboard and trackpad did not function . . . so had to force shutdown by pressing the power button; then pressing it again to start up.

Re: Start Up Freezes
artie505 #32681 01/27/15 09:08 PM
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Yes, I did the VERBOSE thing.

The problem with that is, of course, I have no idea how to read it. Furthermore, the results only stay on screen but a few seconds before the computer automatically restarts . . . and there is no way to save it as a log or do a screenshot. All in all, impractical for an amateur like myself.

Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32682 01/27/15 09:11 PM
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My bad; I should have mentioned that the only way you can document verbose mode is with a camera and quick response-time.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes
artie505 #32685 01/27/15 09:19 PM
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Actually, I could have done that with a camera had I thought of it at the time. I would do VERBOSE now . . . if I were still running Yosemite . . . and post a photo of the "log."

Good tip, anyway, should the opportunity present itself again for me to run VERBOSE mode.

grin

Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
artie505 #32686 01/27/15 09:27 PM
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The RAM sticks.

The 16 (2-8s) have worked happily throughout the 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 incarnations of OSX.

There could be a problem with the sticks as far as 10.10 Yosemite is concerned, but these don't appear to be causing any problems since reverting back to 10.9 Mavericks.

Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32687 01/27/15 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: MG2009
2. How would I go about determining if there is some problematic KERNAL EXTENSION?

3. The MBPro has a built-in SUPERDRIVE which has been discontinued in recent models of this computer. Is it possible that Yosemite is "getting confused" by its presence in the machine?

  1. Etrecheck does a decent job of flagging potential problem extensions, etc.
  2. Unlikely as Yosemite runs happily on too many Macs with built in or external optical drives.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: Start Up Freezes
joemikeb #32688 01/27/15 09:32 PM
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Thanks for the tip, Joe.

Of course, I have already wiped out Yosemite and replaced it with Mavericks.

If I were to run entrecheck now, would there be any chance that something shows up which may give insight as to what could be the potential problem with re-installing Yosemite?

Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32689 01/27/15 10:46 PM
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Given Etrecheck is a free download you would have nothing to lose by trying it. It does not change anything and merely reports on what it finds. It is frequently referred to and recommended in the Apple Discussions.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Start Up Freezes - PROBLEM SOLVED !!!
MG2009 #32696 01/28/15 02:21 AM
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Just to advise Yosemite has worked fine with my mid-2010 MBP i7 17" unit. (Only exception, during Mavericks and early use of Yosemite, being the Device Name issue, which seems to have resolved itself as it's been showing the correct name for several weeks now.) ...And today, I've now updated to 10.10.2, which is also working fine.


MacStudio M1max - 14.4.1, 64 GB Ram, 4TB SSD; Studio Display; iPhone 13mini; Watch 9; iPadPro (M2) 11" WiFi
Re: Start Up Freezes
joemikeb #32697 01/28/15 05:04 AM
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Thanks, Joe.

So I downloaded and ran EtreCheck. Nothing scary looking there ALTHOUGH I did notice the following info regarding the internal and external HDs:

Disk Information: ℹ️
Hitachi HTS725050A9A362 disk0 : (500.11 GB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
[redacted]'s MBPro (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (374.08 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB

MATSHITADVD-R UJ-898

USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

Firewire Information: ℹ️
Other World Computing OWC Mercury On-The-Go 400mbit - 400mbit max
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
MacBookPro - Laptop (disk1s2) /Volumes/MacBookPro - Laptop : 229.55 GB (116.22 GB free)
Install OS X Yosemite (disk1s3) /Volumes/Install OS X Yosemite : 20.03 GB (14.71 GB free)

Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Apple Inc. Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter


So could the "EFI (whatever that is) NOT mounting" be an issue for start up with Yosemite? Do you (or pbGuy) get this message when you run EtreCheck? - assuming you are using Yosemite, that is.

Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32734 01/29/15 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted By: MG2009
... Do you ...pbGuy... get this message when you run EtreCheck? - assuming you are using Yosemite, that is.


Yes, I got a similar report regarding Disk Info and Firewire Info, from EtreCheck (I've never previously used this utility), which I ran on my 10.10.2, although those 2 elements of the report were not in Red as yours is showing. [EtreCheck's explanation of items in Red, says it's only "to be noticed, nothing more."] Also, my capacity / free comparisons were similar to those of your drives, although I don't have a Recovery HD setup on my MBP.

This Link at Etresoft provides some explanations, but nothing about EFI: About EtreCheck

Wikipedia provides a defintion that may shed light for those who can understand it. EFI System partition ...Can anyone enlighten?

Since EtreCheck doesn't provide an explanation about EFI (and, since I'm not experiencing any issues with Yosemite), I'll just ignore that part of EtreCheck's report.

Regarding the rest of the EtreCheck report, I didn't see anything to give me pause for concern.


MacStudio M1max - 14.4.1, 64 GB Ram, 4TB SSD; Studio Display; iPhone 13mini; Watch 9; iPadPro (M2) 11" WiFi
Re: Start Up Freezes
pbGuy #32743 01/29/15 07:21 PM
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Thanks, pbGuy.

The red in my post was my doing to highlight the details of my inquiry. The actual log listing notes for EFI from EtreCheck were in black font.

Since the EFI is causing no issues with Yosemite for you, I will rule that out as an issue for me when I had it on my MBPro - before reverting back to Mavericks, that is. IF I decide to try Yosemite again - most reluctant to do so if I an unable to determine why the MBPro freezes on start up - at least it is fairly safe to assume that EFI is not the source of the grief.

Re: Start Up Freezes
MG2009 #32744 01/29/15 08:16 PM
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> The red in my post was my doing to highlight the details of my inquiry.

The convention is to append such changes with "(Emphasis added)".


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Start Up Freezes
artie505 #32767 01/30/15 01:01 AM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
> The red in my post was my doing to highlight the details of my inquiry.

The convention is to append such changes with "(Emphasis added)".

That is especially true when using Etrecheck as it uses red text to designate material it thinks bears at least looking at. Even if they are careful to spell out that does not necessarily indicate a problem.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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